Sheet folder



June 24,-1'930.'

w. F. MAYER SHEET FOLDER 2 sheets-sheet 1 Filed Nov. 24.

June 24, 1930. w. F. MAYER 1,756,790

` SHEET FOLDER l Filed Nov. 24. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 O v. :O

Mb/demarjayer @www Patented June 24, 1930 earner tries WALDEMAR F.MAYER, @F RUTHERFORD, ANEW' JERSEY, ASGNOR T0 Tlf-IE ALBA CORPORATION,OF ST. ALBANS, VERMONT, A'VCORPQBATION 0F VEBMONT SHEET FOLDERApplication filed November 24, 192.8. Serial No. 321,733.

rThis invention relates to improvements in sheet folding machines. Inparticular, a sheet folding machine is provided Which may be adjustedfor establishing folds of various predetermined widths upon articles.

One of the objects of the present invent-ion is to simplify the foldingmechanism of the folding machine set forth in my Patent No. 1,607,407granted Nov. 1G, 1926: and to enable such mechanism to be used for theformation of folds of various predetermined widths. Y

Another object of the present invention is to provide a folding machineof that type, in which conveying tapes are dispensed'with within thefolding machine itself.

lilith these and other object-s in View as will appear in the course ofthe following specification and claims, an illustrative forni of 'theinvention is set forth on the accompanying drawings, in which: Y

Figure 1 is a. vertical longitudinal section through the machine,substantially on line 1 1 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the machine substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view substantially on line 3 8 of Fig. 2, showing apart of the drive connection. i,

The present machine is illustrated as adaptcd to form a. redoubled orfour-fold of the type set forth in my Patent No. 1,607,407 and isprovided with aspeed mechanism as set forth in my copending applicationSerial No. 819,290, filed Nov. 11i, 1928. to which reference may be madefor, further description of certain details of assemblage and operationof the present apparatus.

In the drawings, the sheet to be folded, for example, a blanket lor thelike coming from an ironing machine, is delivered by the continuouslymoving tapes 10 which pass over the upper guide roller 11 journaled inthe :folding machine standards 12. Then the sheet has reached the upperend of its travel, it drops from the tapes opposite the guide roller 11and is received between the supporting roller 13 and the first foldingroller 14. As shown in Fig. 2, these rollers 13 and 14 are formed withcores surrounded by fabric gripping coi'ierings for greater friction,these coverings being cut away or omitted opposite the center to providespace for the feeling linger 15. This feeling finger is fixed to a rockshaft 16 likewise `iournaled in the side standards 12of the foldingmachine, the shaft being provided on the exterior of one end stai'idardwith a crank arm 1i'.

A second folding roller is likewise journaled in the side standards 12and is formed with av fabric covering for its entire surface, It will benoted that in the illustrated forni of the device, the three rollers 18,111y and 18 are in contact in pairs. A drive chain 19 passes oversprockets on the shafts of these rollers 13, 14 and 18, andover a larO'esprocket 2O on the main drive shaft 21 of change speed mechanism. The.drive chain 19 causes the first roller 13 and third roller 18 to turn ina coiinterclo'ckwise direction, and the middle or second roller 14 toturn in a clockwise c irection, these rollers being caused to move atsuch speeds that their peripherics llave substantially no relativemovement and travel at the same peripheral speed as the c speed ofmovement of the tapes 10.

A suitable 'change speed mechanism` for connecting the main shaft 21 forthe folder cam with the intermittently driven shaft 22 carrying thefolder cam 241 itself is illustrated, described and claimed in mycopending application Ser. No. 319,290, filed Nov.

14, 1928, to which reference is made for, Y

one type of construct-ion utilizable for the present process. Suffice itto say that power is transmitted from a gear 21a keyed to but slidablealong shaft 21 to an idler `gear 21" supported by a sliding carriage21C. This sliding carriage 21 may be moved and held by the employment ofa handle 21h into such a position that its idler gear 21" is broughtinto engagement with a selected one of the nest gears 21 mounted on anest gear shaft 21m carried in the housing H of the change speedmechanism. Likewise, one of the nest gears 21n is in mesh with a largegear 21k lined to a sleeve 21s having a ratchet wheel 211' with a largenumber of fine teeth thereon. In this way the constant rotation of theshaft 21 is transmitted to produce a constant rotation of tlie ratchetdisk 21r at a speed ratio determined by the selective positioning oftheidler gear 211 with respect to the nest gears 21 in well known manner.

The gear 21k, sleeve 21s and ratchet wheel 21Y are fixed together, butare loosely rotatable about the intermittent shaft 22. The iiitermittentshaft 22 cariies an eccentric plate 22X having two dogs or pawls 22a,22b` pivoted thereon and adapted to be brought into engagement with theteeth of ratchet wheel 211' by a spring 22c located between the dogs.The upper` dog 22a in F ig. 3 carries the pin 28 for engagement with adetent arm 29. Then the dogs 22 and 22b are free to move, the spring 22cforces them into engagement with the ratchet wheel 21r and thereby adriving connection is established from the constantly rotated ratchet21" to the eccentric plate 22X and thus to the intermittent shaft 22,causing a rotation of this intermittent shaft until the pin 28 comes incontact with a part ofthe detent lever arm 29, as will be describedhereinafter, thus causing a detaining of the eccentric plate 22X, and amovement of the respective dogs awa-y from engagement withA the ratchetwheel 211", whereby the intermittent shaft 22 is brought to a standstillat a predetermined position of the cani 24, while the ratchet wheel 21ris permitted to continue in its traveling movement. It will be notedthat this is in eect a frictional clutch engagement between theconstantly driven geai' wheel 21k and the intermittent shaft 22.

The intermittent shaft 22 is likewise journaled in the housing H of thechange speed mechanism and has its end projecting through the sidestandard 12 and is provided at the other Side of this standard with abushing 23 keyed thereto. A cooperating clamp ring 25 serves inconjunction with bushing 23 to support the cam 24 in any adjustedangular position, i. e., adjusted with respect to the angularity of thebeginning of the high portion of the cam with respect to the definitestopping point of the intermittent shaft 22 as a result of thecooperation of the pin 28 and the detent lever arm 29. The screws 26clamp the cam 24 firmly in its determined position.

The rock shaft 33 carries an arm 34 operated by the link 85 connected tothe finger crank lever 17 (Fig. 1) and this shaft 853 also carries thedetent lever arm 29 which has a pair of lugs 30 and 31 thereon. In theposition of parts shown in Fig. 1, the feeling finger 15 has been rockedclockwise by the entering sheet, resulting in the downward movement ofthe connecting link and a clockwise movement of the detent lever arm 29,whereby initially the pin 28 was freed from the lower lug 30, wherebythe eccentric plate 22X was permitted to make a full rotation` drivingthe intermittent shaft 22 along with it. In the position shown in Fig.1, further, this eccentric plate 22K has just completed its fullrotation and the pin 28 has now been pressed again against the upper lug31, so that the eccentric plate is now held again against furtherrotation. As soon as the rear end of the sheet S has cleared the feelingfinger 15, the link 85 actuated by spring 32 will move upward, and thedetent lever arm 29 will make a slight counterclockwise movement so thatthe pin 28 will move a slight distance further concentric with tlie axisof shaft 22, until it bears against the lower lug 3() and the device isready for re-starting by the entry of a new sheet to rock the feelingfinger 15. The weight of the eccentric plate 22x will hold the pin 28and the dog carrying it against couiiteiclockwise movement, so that thedogs are held likewise by this weight substantially out of engagementwith the itcliet wheel 21'.

A folder shaft 86 lis likewise journaled in the side standards 12 of thefolding machine and supports the folder levers 37 which are fixedthereto and which carry the roller 88 resting upon the periphery of thecam 24. It will be noted that while but one cam has been-described andshown. such connection may easily be provided at each side of themachine by extension of the shaft 22. The upper ends of the folderlevers 37 support the folder blade 39 for swinging movement a circularare concentric with the axis of the folder shaft 36 from a position asshown in Fig. 1, in which the folder blade is located close between thefolding rollers 14 and 18, and a lower position in which it bearsoutward against a spring .retaining finger 40 supported ou a transversebar 41 of the machine.

The machine is provided with the necessary transverse supporting members42; and with a receiving table 43 at the outlet end.

The operation of the machine may be described as follows:

A sheet S ascending on the delivery tapes 1G passes over the guideroller 11 and hangs down into contact with the feeding roller 13, andthereby is moved into a position between tlie feeding roller 13 and thefirst folding roller 14.

It will be assumed that initially the shaft 22 is at a standstill, itswheel 22X and pin 28 being retained by the detent lug 30; and thefplding blade 39 being in the uppermost posation.

The contact of the sheet S with the feeling finger 15 will cause aclockwise movement of this finger and its rock shaft 16 and crank arm1?. resulting in a downward push on the link with a similar clockwiserocking of the crank lever 34, the rock shaft 38 and the detent leverl29,`resulting in a movement of the detent lug` 30 away from beneath thepin 28, thus releasing this pin to permit a clockwise rotation of thewheel 22X and the shaft 22 itself along with the cam 24 under thefrictional drive from the shaft 21. It will be noted that the chain 19drives the rollers 13, 14 and 18, and the shaft 21 at a constant speed:whereas the shaft 22 moves intermittently at intervals determined by themovement of the feeling finger 15. s

As the result of the release and movement of the cam Q4, the roller `38is at first held outby the raised portion of the cam until substantiallyone-quarter of the incoming sheet has passed the delivery or feedingroller 13. lThe cam 24 then presents a lower portion of its peripheralsurface to the roller 38, and the folding` blade 39 is lowered intocontact with the cooperating spring fingers 40, whereby a definiteportion of the sheet is held, as determined by the distance from theupper edge of the folding blade 39 to the front edge of the sheet whichhas just passed this folding blade, that is, with a proper adjustment.one-quarter of the length of the sheetis draped at the right of the edgeof the folding blade 39. The rollers 13 and 14 continue to feed thesheet forward at a constant speed, but this portion of the sheet is nowdraped in a loop in front of, i. e., at the left of, the folding blade39, as has been described in detail in my granted Pat ent No. 1,607,407.After a length of the sheet, equaling approximately twice the length ofthe portion at the right of the upper edge of the folding blade 39, haspassed this edge, and is draped in a loop at the left of the foldingblade, the cam 24 again presents its raised portion to the guide roller38 and the folding levers 37 now are rocked upwardly again so that thefolding blade 39 is brought into the position shown in Fig. 1, in whichits upper edge tucks the doubly folded sheet S1 between the foldingrollers 14 and 18 which, by the frictional engagement of theircoverings, engage the folded sheet and deliver it onto the table 43. Thelower edge of the sheet has continued to advance on the tapes 10 andfinally drops therefrom; the rollers 13, 14 continuingto feed the sheetat a definite speed as the centrai or re-double fold line is drawnforward between the rollers 14 and 18. When the rear edge of the sheethas passed the feeling finger 15. t-he latter is drawn in acounterclockwise direction under the urge of the spring 32, and thedetent lever 29 again moves to the position in which the pin 28 is heldby the detent lug 30. It will particularly be noted that if the rearedge of the sheet has not cleared the. feeling linger 15 before the cam28 and its shaft 22 has made a complete rotation, the pin 28 will bereceived against the detent lug 31, thus holding` the cam 24 in a denitcposition against frictional drive from the shaft 21, wherewith thefolding levers 37 remain in their raised position, and

the folded sheet is advanced by the folding rollers 14 and 18 onto thetable 43 as before. As soon as the rear edge of the sheet has passed thefeeling` linger 15, the latter flies up, and the detent lever 29 movesinl a clochwise direction so that the pin 28 moves from the lug 29 downonto the lug,l 30 by a slight further angular movement of the shaft 22.The device isnow ready for thehandling of a further sheet: and it willbe noted that by this means the device is only started by the enteringedge of a sheet, and that a sheet of greater than normal width will notresult in a rotation of the cam 24 by more than 360 degrees.

1 By changing 4the speed ratio of the drive oetween the shaft 21 and theshaft 22, the cam 24 is caused to move the folding levers 3? at definiteintervals of time with respect to the travel of the constantly driventapes 10, rolls 13, 14 and 18 and shaft 21. For example., if a four-foldis to be accomplished in a sheet eighty inches long, the shaft 2Q willbe timed to make a complete rotation when the pcripheries of the rollers13,'14 and 18 have moved by eighty inches, and an equal dis ance hasbeen traversed by the tapes 10,

and a corresponding distance by the chain 19. @n the contrary, if afour-fold is to be made in a sheet forty inches long, the speed ratiobetween the shaft Q1 and the shaft 22 is increased so that the lattermoves twice as fast as before. A method of accomplishing` vthis has beendescribed in my copcnding application, fdcrial lilo. V319.290, filedNow. 14, 1928, to which referenceis made for further de` tails of theconstruction and atsemblage.

According to the present invention, therefore, the entering sheet isvcaused to move downward in the mechanism at the right (in Fig. 1) of afolding blade 39 until a definite length of material has been sosuspended; the folding blade is then caused to move so that a furtherportion of the material is suspended or draped at the other side of itsedge 5 and then this edge is introduced between the folding rollers 14and 16 which are in contact one with another and serve frictionally toreceive and draw the draped sheet from the folding blade 39. The timingof this foldin blade is accomplished from the constant speed drive,which feeds the sheet into its initial hanging position through anintermittent clutch which, at time intervals corresponding to the travelof the proper length of the sheet, will cause the operation of thefolder blade for the purposes set forth.

lt is obvious that the invention is not limited solely to the form ofexecution shown, but that it `may be modified in many ways within thescope of the appended claims.

llVhat l claim as new and desire to secure bv Letters Patent is:

1. ln a folding mechanism, first, second and third rolls, means to drivesaid rolls continuously, said second yroll being in surface contact withsaid first and third rolls when the machine is empty, means to feed asheet between said first and second rolls, said first and second rollsfrictionally holding said sheet and determining its speed of advancementso that the sheet moves downward at a constant speed, a receiving meanslocated beneath said first and second rolls, and devices to actuate saidreceiving means so that the sheet is delivered on both sides of saidreceiving means and to press said receiving means and the draped sheetthereon between said second and third rolls so that said rolls removethe sheet from said receivingr means.

2. A folding mechanism as in claim l, in which said devices include acam and cam driving means, al pin carried in rotation with said cam, anda detent lever which in one position holds said pin and therewith saidcam against rotation, and in a second position liberates said pin sothat the cam may rotate, and means o1 erated by the sheet to move saidlever into said` second position.

8. A folding mechanism as in claim l, in which said devices include acam and cam driving means, means operated by said cam to move saiddevices, driving means for said cam including an intermittent clutch anda detent to hold the cam, and devices located between said first andsecond rolls and operated by the front edge of the sheet to be foldedwhen the sheet enters between said first and second rolls whereby torelease said detent and cause said driving means to move said camthrough said clutch.

4t. ln a folding mechanism, a pair of rolls having yielding grippingsurfaces, one of said rolls having a portion cnt away along its length,means to feed a sheet to said rolls so that the fr'ctional engagementbetween the rolls and sheet will determine the speed of advancement ofthe sheet, a folding device to operate upon the sheet as it is fed bysaid rolls, driving means for said rolls and folding device, and afinger adapted to be engaged by the front edge of the sheet as it entersbetween said rolls, said linger being positioned in said cut awayportion, and connecting devices between said finger and said foldingdevice whereby to release the latter for operation when a sheet entersbetween said rolls.

5. In a folding mechanism, a feeding device and means to drive the samecontinuously, a folding mechanism having a folding blade. means tooperate said folding blade intermittently, and a linger located betweensaid feeding device and said blade and operated by the front edge of asheet passing from said feeding device whereby to release said foldingdevice for operation.

(3. folding mechanislin comprising first, second and third rollers, theaxes of said rolls being spaced apart horizontally, said second andthird rolls being in yielding surface contact, the axis of said thirdroll being below the axis of said second roll, a folder blade movablebetween a position close between the second and third rolls and aposition beneath Y the first roll, a cam to move the folder bladebetween said positions, and means to drive said cam at a speedproportioned to the peripheral speed of said rolls, wherewith the saidfirst roll acts to determine the speed of VALDEMAR F. MAYER.

